Sparks
by Shelbey
Summary: Mathias Kohler wakes up after a drunken tryst alone and hopes that maybe the sparks he felt were shared by the quiet, beautiful man at the bar.
1. Chapter 1

There was nothing Mathias hated more than that no good dirty rotten plan canceling Swede and his little adorable Finnish piece of ass. Nothing in the world made his eyebrow twitch in irritation and make him want to dunk his admittedly shitty cell phone in his beer and be done with it. His hands flexed for a moment with the thought of doing it, but he was more attached to the piece of technology than he would have ever been prepared to admit. It can't be helped though, he thought as he reread for the twentieth time the message that Berwald sent him naught twenty minutes after he hauled his ass downtown.

_sorry tino and i cant make it tonight well see you another time_

Not even a decent goddamn excuse either, Mathias lamented, shoving his phone into the pocket of his black trenchcoat and downing his second beer of the night. He waited for twenty minutes for those dicks to show up after driving all the way down here, and then they cancel on him. Good riddance, then, he was going to have a great time without them.

And by great time, he was going to get disgustingly sloshed and then attempt to drive home at five in the morning. He peeked around the bar for a moment, attempting to find someone, _anyone_, to start a conversation with so he could not feel like a creeper or an idiot or, as he really was, someone who simply got stood up by his friends. The tap of his fingers on the bar was drowned out by the loud music and the obnoxious chattering that he was hankering to become a part of sooner rather than later.

After a little more liquid courage in the hatch and Mathias stood from the bar and made his way to the section of the floor where a few pretty girls and a couple of ugly dudes were dancing. One of the girls, a pretty brunette, caught his eye and gripped his hands, tugging him bodily towards her. Now Mathias wasn't usually one to brag, but he was generally the most attractive catch at this particular bar downtown. He'd frequented it enough to know that for a fact and it was never hard to get a little action from a drunk patron nearly every time he'd come.

He never took it far though. Just a couple of minutes of copping a feel or grinding on each other or a sloppy make out session in the darkest corner of the establishment. Once or twice he'd gone home with someone he was really feeling it with, but there was something about the thought of a one night stand that tended to make him cringe.

Mathias pulled away from the girl as she started to lose her balance, not wanting to stick around for even a small chance of puke making its way onto his clothes, and took a seat at the bar again, ordering himself another beer and cracking the lid off with his teeth. Tino always exclaimed that he was going to destroy his teeth doing it, but it was a neat party trick that could break the ice if he ever needed to.

The seat beside him was filled suddenly, and a quiet and light, though commanding voice said, "One Newcastle." Mathias tilted his head just to get a glimpse of the new person at the bar. It was a man, judging by the shape of his face, but he had such a girlish prettiness to him that it was a little disconcerting. His hair was blond with side swept bangs that were held in place by a shiny silver cross shaped hair barrette, though they slightly shadowed a pair of the deepest indigo eyes Mathias had ever seen. His cheekbones were shapely and high and he was incredibly slender, but he could tell there was a certain amount of strength to be contended with.

The man received his beer and took a deep swig of it, one that impressed Mathias. This man was definitely not one to be underestimated. "Can handle your beer huh?" he asked conversationally, taking a deep swig of his own and smacking his lips afterward, completely satisfied with the concoction and all the benefits associated with it. Those indigo eyes met his and the man said nothing for a moment as he regarded Mathias coolly.

"Don't be stupid," he commented, his voice a dull monotone and took another drink. "I'm Norwegian, I was born for this." The Norwegian had finished the beer in four swallows exactly, and Mathias found himself even more impressed than he had been previously.

Before he could order himself another one, Mathias called to the bartender, "Oi, another couple of Newcastles over here." The man didn't seem surprised that a drink had been bought for him but Mathias didn't let that bother him. This could actually end up being a pretty interesting night for him despite Berwald and Tino's incredibly appalling betrayal of friendship. "I'm Danish," he said with a grin, clanking down one of the bottles in front of the blonde man and shaking his own slightly. "Everyone knows that Danes can out-drink anyone else by a fucking mile." He downed half of his bottle in a show of bravado and slammed it on the bar. "Germans, Irish, and even Norwegians!"

A slim eyebrow was raised as the Norwegian picked up the beer and tilted his head very slightly. "You really are an idiot." He pressed the bottle to his lips, sending a rather indecent thought through Mathias's head and finished the beer in one sitting. Mathias watched his Adam's apple bob up and down with each swallow, slightly allured by the motion. He placed the bottle back on the bar a lot gentler than the Dane did, but with a sense of confidence that he simply couldn't deny was incredibly attractive. Mathias chugged the last half of his beer in record time, determined to not be outshone, and this time it was the Norwegian that ordered the round, making him grin.

"For someone so damn cocky you're sure interested in seeing who'll be the winner of this little contest, ain't ya?" The sidelong glance from the Norwegian spoke volumes to him, though the man seemed to rely on an ability of remaining aloof. The slight twinge of the eyebrow, furrowed down in a slope of what seemed to be irritation that was not actually directed at Mathias. Instead of answering, the blonde lifted the beer before him and waited for Mathias to do the same. They started to drink together, and finished together, placing the bottles down hard and loud in unison, gasping for air. Mathias started to cackle loudly. "I'm Mathias," he offered, nudging the other man in the arm with his elbow.

For a moment he seemed like he wasn't going to tell him anything in return, until finally he said, "Lukas."

"Nice to meet ya Lukas! Barkeep! Another round!"

...

Mathias was sure he had never been so drunk in his entire life. He was nearly laying on the bar, his head spinning and his stomach feeling like it was about ready to send itself and everything inside of it up through his throat. "Nah, nah Lukas, I got this," he slurred after a moment, the beer in his hand nearly empty. Lukas stared at him, his face completely blank and a hand resting against his cheek. He didn't even seem a little bit drunk, and they had the same number of drinks. It was impossible. The Norwegian was such a tiny guy, how could he possible handle his booze better than Mathias? He was built like a football player, tall and broad and muscular, and had been drinking since the day he was born.

"I think you're ridiculous and you need to stop before you kill yourself," he replied in annoyance, his voice a soft sigh as he finished one final beer and told the bartender to stop giving Mathias anything else. "How are you even going to get home? Did you even think that far ahead, you idiot?" Mathias was ready to tell him that he had because he planned to drive home after he had sobered up a while, but that was before he got into this spontaneous drinking contest with the most attractive man on earth.

"Sure I did, duh," he mumbled into his shirt sleeve, waving his hand before Lukas's face with gusto. "I just didn't actually expect to be drinking this much tonight." Lukas placed his face in his hand though Mathias chose to mostly ignore it because he was sure if he moved any more he would most likely puke.

After a moment of what seemed like contemplation, Lukas pulled out a credit card and paid for the drinks. Mathias wanted to protest, but before he could say anything, Lukas gripped him by the collar of his jacket and heaved him slowly from the bar. "I'm driving your stupid ass home," he said simply, tugging him towards the door. The temperature had dropped considerably since he had last been outside, and the cold wind sobered him up enough to the point where he could mostly use his feet to get himself to Lukas's car.

The Norwegian roughly pushed him into the passenger side seat and slid gracefully into the driver's side, starting his car and pulling out of the driveway. Mathias took about five minutes to properly say his address between giggles and smacks upside the head from Lukas, who didn't actually seem as frustrated as he was trying to lead him to believe. The car ride, though, was pretty silent for the most part, as Lukas didn't turn on the radio and wouldn't bother answering any of the asinine things that Mathias let spew from his mouth.

Lukas pulled up into the driveway and parked the car, glaring at Mathias before asking, "Do you need me to tuck you in too?"

"I got it," he grumbled, reaching for the door handle and leaning out of the passenger side seat. Well, he thought he had it before he threw up into the flowerbed lining the right hand side of his driveway. Oh man, he was really embarrassing himself now, it had been years since he'd gotten sick from drinking. A soft hand touched his neck, kneeling down next to him and keeping his clothes out of the way of the projectile puke. "I don't got it," he admitted, leaning heavily into Lukas and feeling like total shit. The Norwegian reached into Mathias's pockets and pulled out a jingling set of keys as he dragged him to the front door, trying each one in turn until the was able to get the door open.

"Where?" he asked quietly, and Mathias pointed up the stairs. Lukas was a lot stronger than he looked, being able to heft Mathias up the stairs. He entered the master bedroom and lowered the man onto the bed and then left the room. Mathias wanted to call him back, but he was certain that the man was probably incredibly sick of taking care of his ass by this point. When the door creaked open again, he was surprised to see Lukas back inside, a glass of water from the kitchen in his hands. "Drink this," he ordered, pressing the bottom of it against his forehead until Mathias sat up and accepted the glass.

He mumbled, "Thanks a lot, Lukas, for helping me out like this. You didn't have to." Lukas said nothing as he sipped on the glass for a moment and then placed it on the nightstand, laying back against the bed. Some time passed but Lukas did not leave his spot sitting on the edge of the bed, and Mathias watched him closely before shaking his head and yawning. "Bedtime," he slurred cheerfully, struggling to move under the covers.

Lukas rolled his eyes and began to unbutton Mathias's trench coat for him, tossing it aside along with his boots. His hands were warm against him and Mathias was too incredibly drunk to accept the fact that Lukas had simply stopped undressing him like that. He reached out and took the Norwegian's hands, holding them in a tight grip, though his muddled brain wasn't quite sure what he was trying to accomplish. "I'm still wearing stuff," he offered in confusion and Lukas's eyes widened just the tiniest bit.

"Whatever that is supposed to mean," he replied back bitingly, trying to tug his hands away. Mathias didn't want Lukas to leave just yet and he did the only thing he could think of at that moment to do. He pulled Lukas towards him and crushed their lips together sloppily. He was usually more of a smooth operator than this, but twelves beers was more than he should ever drink in a three hour period and a lot of that went towards lowering his suave abilities.

Much to his surprise, Lukas did not balk from his advances. Instead the man pushed Mathias on his back and was straddling his hips, their mouths still connected as Lukas gripped his shirt in one hand. It felt like a strange dream as he watched their clothes pool on the floor and the night simply slipped away from them.

…

The sun was glaring.

Mathias wasn't used to hangovers, that much was for sure. The throb of his head and the growl of his empty stomach were an unfamiliar experience for him. HE groaned loudly and rolled over, expecting to feel the warm body of his conquest from the night before laying beside him, curled in the sheets with nothing on but that golden hairpin. But when he reached out, there was nothing there and the spot on the pillow where Lukas had rested his head after they were done was bare except for a long, find strand of blond hair. It tickled his nose and he plucked it from the pillow, his stomach feeling empty because of more than just the food.

He shouldn't really be surprised right? He met a man in a bar, they went home together, fucked, and then he'd never see him again. That's how it was supposed to work, right? If that was the case, then why did it affect him so adversely? It had been a long time since he'd woken up with another warm body in his bed and it seemed like it was almost too much to ask for.

Sitting up, Mathias noted the glass of water on his bedside table from the night before and another pang of sadness hit his chest. Lukas cared enough to make sure he was all right at least, he mused, taking a sip out of the glass to wet his dry mouth. He had thought, for a moment at least, that maybe he and Lukas had made some sort of connection. What a stupid thought.

Mathias checked his bedside clock and grimaced. It was nearly four in the afternoon; he had slept through his entire Sunday. He took a quick glance out the window and saw that Berwald and Tino's cars were still in the driveway and rejoiced. Someone needed to take him to go get his own car from where it still sat downtown at the bar. He pulled on a pair of red jeans and a black shirt before bursting through the door of the master bedroom, taking the steps two at a time until he found himself before the aperture to the kitchen.

A soft moan met his ears and when he entered he walked in on Tino and Berwald precariously perched on the island in the center of the kitchen, their pants pooled in a pile on the floor. A pair of Finnish flag boxers stared him in the face and he took in the entire scene with gusto. Berwald was on his back on the counter top with Tino kneeling between his legs on the marble counter top, the Swede's head thrown back. Why didn't this revelation surprise Mathias in the least?

The sight sent him into a fit of loud hysterics, causing his two roommates to look up sharply. The sudden motion sent them careening from the island to the linoleum of the kitchen floor, opposite from where Mathias stood and hidden by the cabinets. "You two are so gross!" Mathias crowed gleefully as the two scrambled on the floor the clothe themselves. "We eat there!"

"We thought you weren't home!" Finland cried out, popping up from behind the counter like a plastic rodent in a whack-a-mole game. Berwald had yet to emerge, though Mathias was sure the Swede was a bundle of embarrassment behind the counter. "Your car wasn't in the driveway so we thought you went to see Alfred or Gilbert or something after we couldn't make it last night."

Mathias continued to laugh heartily as Berwald finally showed his face, the flush of red still evident on his neck and cheeks. "Nah, I found a hot piece of ass at the bar last night and he drove my drunk ass home," he explained, sitting at one of the chairs near the dining room table once he was certain his friends were sufficiently dressed. "But I need one of you sex fiends to drive me to go pick up my car."

Tino and Berwald exchanged glances, their embarrassment subsiding momentarily. "Uh," Tino said quietly as they silently decided between the two of them who would take Mathias down on this little trip. It's not like he bothered them with this sort of thing regularly, though, it shouldn't be that much trouble! I mean, once Berwald had to bring him the spare key when he locked himself out of his car at work a couple of weeks ago, and there was that time Tino had to help him change into his spare tire because he and Gilbert had accidentally thought it was a good idea to run over something weird in the middle of the road.

But seriously, it wasn't that much trouble!

Before they could come to a conclusion themselves, he mentioned offhandedly, "I think Tino. Might be hard for Berwald to sit down for a while." The taller man's face grew drastically more crimson and he quickly made his leave of the room. Tino gave Mathias a disapproving frown.

"You're an ass," he said simply, retrieving his car keys from the hook by the door and heading outside. Mathias followed with his grin still in place and climbed into the passenger side seat, choosing to ignore the putrid pile of vomit from the night before on the side of the driveway. The smaller man climbed into the driver's side and turned the vehicle on in silence. A loud ABBA CD started to play and Mathias groaned, though he doubted Tino could hear over the loud music. The ride down was uneventful and Mathias ruffled Tino's hair in thanks for the lift before climbing out and heading for his own car.

As Tino pulled away, Mathias decided to duck into the bar for a moment just to see if he could spot Lukas anywhere inside. A quick scan of the interior told him that wishful thinking didn't really help much and he sighed in regret.

The drive home was slow and Mathias pictured Lukas in his mind. He'd never had such an amazing night with someone before, that was for sure; while at the bar and afterward in his bedroom. He ran a hand through his hair and lamented the fact that he hadn't been more sober during his night with Lukas. There were bits and pieces of things he could remember. Lukas's indigo eyes staring into his, the pale white of his skin pressed flush to Mathias's own, the softness of his lips. Mathias wanted to kick himself.

You are never seeing him again, he told himself.

AN: One chapter left after this! :)


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a long time since Lukas Bondevik had used this bar. Was it six months? He couldn't recall the exact time frame, but he figured by now it was a sufficient amount of time to risk coming back. After all, it was his and his brother's favorite bar, and it was kind of a disappointment to have to avoid the place just because he couldn't handle himself after a stupid one night stand, something he should be used to after months of nothing but them.

He tipped his head back slightly as he continued to sip on his beer, his younger brother Emil leaning over the bar as he flirted with the bartender, a pretty young looking girl with red ribbons in her long brown hair and tanned skin. Now he remembered why Emil liked this bar so much, Lukas mused, leaning an elbow against the smooth wooden countertop as he took another glance around the location before frowning.

Lukas would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed at the lack of a certain loud obnoxious blond drunkard that he met all that time ago. Somehow, he wished he had been into him enough to continue to go to this bar even long after Lukas had stopped attending, hoping to find him again. What a stupid wish, especially since he had gone through all these lengths to avoid that man anyway. What was his name again?

"Mathias, you dick!"

There was a strong sense of shock that hit Lukas so strongly in the gut he could barely breathe. His hand snapped towards the door, and he saw a group of three people walk in. They were all relatively tall, one with silvery hair that reflected in the dim lighting of the bar, his reddish eyes almost disconcerting if Lukas were easily startled. The other man was blond, with blue eyes hidden behind his wire framed glasses, and incredibly handsome, wearing a brown leather jacket over a white shirt and jeans.

But Lukas paid little attention to either of them. Instead, he stared at the man that was beside them. The long black trenchcoat was familiar to him, the gold buttons undone and the jacket left opened. His hair was wild and his blue eyes danced, and Lukas felt the familiar pull at his chest when the man laughed at his friends. Dammit. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to see him again, ever. He downed his beer and headed quickly for the bathroom, trying not to think about how ridiculous he was being.

He was a fucking idiot, that's what it was. He was running away from some idiot that he met for one night six months ago like a shy high school girl away from her crush. Heat emanated from the back of his neck, his embarrassment getting the better of him as he slammed the stall shut behind him. He was better than this.

His phone vibrated against his hip and he quickly pulled it out, a message from Emil lit up on the screen. _Everything all right?_ Lukas quickly typed back that he was fine, and shook his head, running his fingers through his hair in a quick effort to compose himself before returning to the bar to get his brother and get out before Mathias spotted him. The bathroom door opened before he could exit the stall and the thud of boots met his ears. Beneath the stall, he saw the drape of the black coat and withheld a groan.

Lukas stood up quickly but as he did, the clatter of something hitting the ground met his ears. His clip had slid from his hair and outside of the stall, and he resisted the urge to hit himself in the face. This was getting ridiculous! Of all the unnecessary occurrences in his life, this was one of the most irritating. He watched below the stall wall as Mathias picked the clip from the ground, silent, and Lukas exited, turning the corner and keeping his face impassive despite the waterfall of emotions that were tearing across Mathias's. "Excuse me," he said stonily, edging by Mathias and using the sink the rinse his hands. He carefully ignored the man, who was still staring flabbergasted at the back of his head, as he took as much time as he could drying his skin. "May I have that back?" he asked quietly, reaching a hand out for his clip.

Lukas snatched his hairpin back from Mathias, who still seemed shocked and more than a little baffled. But what were the actual odds of him being here on the same night Lukas decided to show his face again? Astronomical, he decided as he swept his hair back into the clip and made a show of checking himself out in the mirror silently. The Dane said nothing, just watched him through those clear blue eyes, astonishment written all over his face. A skip in his heart alerted him that he needed to leave, Emil and the pretty bartender be damned.

He left the bathroom quickly, ignoring Mathias for the most part as he made a beeline for his younger brother. As expected, he was talking to the girl with the long brown hair and red bows adorning her pigtails. "Lukas, hey," Emil greeted him impassively. Lukas simply gave him a pointed look and Emil glanced over his brother's shoulder. Judging by the look on Emil's face, he definitely caught wind of the tall man that most likely had followed Lukas out of the bathroom. "Oh shit. It's tall, blond, and Danish," his brother murmured under his breath, sliding a note to the tanned woman and motioning for Lukas to move.

The girl smiled and waved to them as they hurried for the door. Emil turned back to glance at Lukas and Lukas hoped his face was neutral rather than panicked like he felt. Before his brother could turn back around, he backed into another guest, hard, and toppled over the man, sending them both to the ground. "Emil!" Lukas gripped his brother's arms and helped him to his feet, eying him over before reaching a hand out to the other man who had fallen. The person only had their pride bruised as far as Lukas could tell, but his face was skewed into a furious expression that made him very uneasy.

"Watch where you're fucking going," he growled at the brothers, ignoring Lukas's offer of help and pulling himself from the floor drunkenly. Lukas couldn't help but think how he really didn't have time for this, deciding to to simply sidestep the man and exit the room rather than continue this asinine conversation. He heard his brother say a sincere apology behind him to the man and Lukas turned to wait for Emil to follow. Instead, he saw the man raise his hand to him and before he could even think about it, Lukas gripped the man's wrist, hard, and glared at him with all the fury that had been bottled up until that moment.

"If you ever raise a hand to my brother again, you won't live to regret it for very long." The man flinched at the threat in the words and twisted his wrist out of Lukas's grasp. He glanced at Emil for a moment before facing the door again, listening for the sound of his brother's footsteps behind him. Instead a grunt and a thud met his ears, and he spun around quickly to find the offending man flat on his back again, Emil staring in surprise as he stood beside the messy haired Dane, who had a fist raised.

Mathias growled, "Fucking ass, once his back is turned." He took a moment to make sure Emil was unscathed and then finally met Lukas's eyes, his features softening as he did so. Lukas's heart fluttered and he cursed himself angrily. "Are you all right?"

"Fine," Lukas said tersely, motioning for Emil to follow him. "Thank you." He expected Mathias to follow them out and was not disappointed. The man was damn persistent, Lukas noted quietly, handing the keys of his car to his younger brother. He felt this confrontation might take a moment, and didn't want Emil waiting around outside for him while he handled the Mathias problem. He could feel his brother's violet eyes burning a hole into the back of his head from the passenger seat as he took a deep breath and willingly, for the first time that night, met Mathias's eyes. "I thanked you, what more do you want from me?" His voice was frigid, like it always was, like it had always been, like it would always be. Why would someone as warm and bright and happy as Mathias be so interested in someone as cold as Lukas?

Mathias seemed at a loss for words as he stared at Lukas, fidgeting with his hands for a moment before beginning to speak. "Lukas," he started uncertainly, and just the sound of his emitting from Mathias's mouth name gave Lukas goosebumps. Dammit, it wasn't supposed to happen this way. He was better than this; he didn't want this! "What happened? I thought maybe you and I...?" His voice trailed off and it was almost reassuring to see the usually confident man look so lost and uncertain.

"You were wrong," he replied sharply, wondering if the Dane could hear the lie as it permeated the air. If he realized that Lukas never felt the urge to see someone again after a one night stand. That he hadn't slept with someone that was important in years, that he wasn't sure how he felt anymore. "It was nothing, it meant nothing. Learn to separate your fantasies from reality, Mathias."

The hurt that filtered across Mathias's face was so real that he wasn't sure he wanted to take it back and tell him the truth or run away. Lukas teetered between the two options as his brother watched from the car. "So this is how it ends," Mathias said, though he wasn't sure who the Dane was talking to. "Six months waiting for you to show up again, every night in this stupid bar hoping you'd change your mind and maybe give me a chance."

"I gave a chance before, I won't do it again." The words were out of Lukas's mouth before he could stop it and he felt the blood run from his face. Mortified, Lukas spun around and darted to the driver's seat of the car, feeling foolish and ignoring the stare that Emil was giving him.

Finally, as he pulled away from a stunned Mathias, his brother spoke, "You can't let him leaving you affect your forever." Lukas shot him a dangerous glare that Emil did not balk from, like he tended to do when Lukas felt wrathful. "Mathias waited for you for half a year and you hoped that he might. Now suddenly you're not sure? What the hell Lukas?" They were silent for an eternity as he paused driving away from the parking lot, glancing momentarily to Mathias's retreated back as the man entered back into the bar.

"Fuck it all," he said and parked the car, climbing out as elegantly as he could to retain some dignity in front of Emil. He walked back into the bar and glanced around, seeing the Dane standing with his gray and blond haired friends in the corner. He took a bar napkin and scribbled his phone number onto it before knocking on the larger man's back, an embarrassed burn on the back of his neck. Mathias turned and was genuinely shocked to see Lukas standing there.

"What...?"

Before the man could finish his question, Lukas grumbled, "Don't make me regret this." He threw the napkin in Mathias's face and headed back for the door.

He heard Mathias call back, "Don't worry! You won't!" before he made it out the door.


End file.
